Aquarium Research
Anyone thinking of keeping a marine aquarium, that is becoming a marine aquarist, needs to undertake some careful consideration. It isn’t just a matter of going out and purchasing an aquarium that will fit the space available, and then getting some salt water and putting fish in.
The title word ‘research’ will sometimes put people off. It could sound really dull and dusty and the kind of thing done in silence within a library. Not to worry though, the kind of research being written about here is basic and interesting. Having done it, the researcher will not have become a scientist and there will not be a need to buy a white coat! What will have been gained is necessary knowledge.
Setting up a marine aquarium does not require a vast amount of knowledge in depth, but it does need basic knowledge. Without this basic knowledge the novice is on a path to failure. There cannot be much worse with a hobby than to spend money and create an aquarium environment with all the excitement and anticipation involved, and then find the aquarium deteriorating and ending in failure. The novice owes it to him or herself to treat the project better than that and have a good chance of success. Success is never 100% guaranteed as Mother Nature and her vagaries are involved. However, with some research and armed with the resulting knowledge the chance of success is far, far higher.
Unlike many hobbies that deal with inanimate subjects, the marine hobby deals with living ones. This is the attraction; all the beautifully coloured fish and corals that could have been seen on TV and in public aquariums instigate interest. Perhaps a friend’s marine aquarium has been seen and an ‘I would love one of those’ feeling has arisen. This is understandable, and probably the main reason that many aquarists are in the hobby is because of what has been seen.
Living creatures however are not as straightforward as inanimate objects; they need a correct environment and suitable feeding. Failing to research the needs of the creatures is cruel and unforgivable.
How is such an environment created? All the knowledge accumulated in the past and present by earlier and current aquarists is available. The information on seawater and the equipment needed to keep it in good condition is available. This equipment varies according to the type of marine aquarium kept, so how is it known which is required? That’s correct, research.
The type of marine aquarium? Yes, marine aquariums do have differences and it is easy to find out what they are. It is also easy to find out what equipment is required to support which aquarium. Failing to set up an aquarium of any type properly is going to lead to troubles.
The amount of information that is available could send the novice staggering from pillar to post, getting more confused by the minute. Sometimes there are differing opinions, out of date information and the like. Not helpful to a novice at all. However, setting up an aquarium is not difficult and is done in a methodical manner. What is needed is something to guide the novice, a hand along the path so to speak.
Though cost is not the number one priority in setting up a marine aquarium (the welfare of the livestock is) it is of course very important. ‘Money doesn’t grow on trees’ is a well known saying and failing to research the cost of setting up an aquarium is going to be most unhelpful. Setting up costs can only be checked when the equipment required is known. The equipment required can only be listed when the type of livestock that is desired is known. So, as has been said already, the setting up process needs to be a methodical one. Impatience shouldn’t cause the process to be rushed or incorrect decisions are going to be made and problems generated. Once the foundation questions have been answered as the setting up process proceeds, indicative costs can be checked. Perhaps the aquarium will be too large and the livestock too expensive and/or running costs too high. Downsizing the aquarium at the beginning will save problems later. Failing to research and realizing costs when half way through the setting up process or when everything is running is too late.
Research also saves the novice problems in another way. Even if research has been done and it is found that equipment X is required, the one purchased may be unsuitable. This in fact happens a great deal, and later as some experience accumulates the inadequacy of X is realized. So another is bought and the cost of the original is waste. Some research into the individual needs of equipment X would have indicated the requirement properly in the first place, saving money.
Novice or experienced, the aquarist needs to research. It indicates a commitment to the welfare of the livestock from the start, and the intention of the aquarist to succeed. There are aquarists who didn’t research when novices, but do so when experience has brought them stress and the sadness of losing livestock.
Research is a simple word and nowadays simple to do. As part of being successful it should be an accepted part of any aquarist’s procedure. As stated earlier it isn’t a problem nowadays, as the accumulated experience of the past and the present can be at the aquarists’ fingertips.
We recommend the book ‘Marine Aquariums – The Beginner’s Guide’, which covers everything mentioned from first thoughts to final completion.
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